folk

Devil's coach horse beetle. British folklore has it that a beetle has eaten the core of Eve's apple, and that a person who crushes such beetle is forgiven seven sins. Poor beetles! https://www.instagram.com/p/CTNru1QLEpY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Folk art style.

I did gift art for AverageEarthFolk on DA. Nutmeg is an upcoming character in his webcomic, Stuck In Web Dev(Hell)opment (https://www.stuckindevhellopment.com/)

Who is Gault ? See link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzyJOln6GqE&t=935s

This artwork started as a doodle. I love chaos & i love the freedom to meander endlessly w a pencil. However i also like 2 have a 'Conversation' w viewers. So to encourage this i often 'name' the doodle. Suddenly by defining the scribble it almost gives folks permission to comment & offer their perspective & input. Luckily i am not swayed either way w this conversation but i do love a forum for ideas & this usually turns into even more optimistic exercises allowing me to continue discovering the unknown & undrawn. Quite frankly i am lucky since i can draw & create any reality i choose... for me the visual possibilities r truly endless. Yep, Eternity is the limit.

Whenever i hear the word 'graphic' on the news, my mind goes to art rather than the abrupt visual they feel needs a warning [Which i guess is a courtesy for some folks who just might not be able to handle such a site & prefer to look away.] Well, luckily, I'm not Pollyanna about this... As a creative, it is nearly impossible to hear that word 'graphic' & not flex my creative muscle & treat it w an alternative visual thot... 24/6! [I take Sundays off.] I was never fortunate enuf to attend college or to study graphic arts. But I actually think that this is a skill & craft of immense talent. To create aesthetic colors & shapes & beauty & what seems like using the most simplistic of techniques yet w the greatest of impact is simply mesmerizing to me. Why that color? Why that shape? & yet... it works!!!! So here is my attempt to simulate such a masterful profession but w a bit of humor.

"Whirlwind 22”, an original drawing. Micron pens on archival paper. Size: 4” x 6”. Title, signature, and date in the back of the drawing. This drawing is the 22nd in a series of drawings posted over a period of 100 days. The original post date on this drawing was September 22, 2020.

"Whirlwind 18”, an original drawing. Micron pens on archival paper. Size: 5” x 7”. Title, signature, and date in the back of the drawing. This drawing is the 18th in a series of drawings posted over a period of 100 days. The original post date on this drawing was September 18, 2020.

A piece I created via a Skillshare class. It’s folk art inspired.

The croaky old folkie! This guy was responsible for some of the best music in the 60's. Done in ink one afternoon.

The word prompt was "Teeth" and I used the Zentangle pattern "Itch" for the scales on the dragon. This picture sums up the (bad?) advice given to us Anxiety ridden folks - "Focus on one thing at a time." Yeh, how's that working for you?

Be Hold the Lamb of God Medium: Acrylic on canvas size:11”x12” Date 2019-2020 Artist: Stephen J. Vattimo This illustration is done for a mural portraying the earthly ministry of Jesus the Christ. This is number 8, out of 9 illustraitions. This illustration portrays Jesus after he dies on the cross. Biblical reference : Mark 15 : 33-39 33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[b] 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,[c] he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” In doing my research : I found out that the crown of thorns might have been a cap, than a wreath. I t is my opinion that Mel Gibson’s portrayal of the brutality the Roman soldier inflicted on the body of Jesus, through the beatings and the 39 lashes with the cat of nine tails. This event was never visually captured in arts, until he made his movie The Passion of the Christ. Many don’t know what a cat of nine tales is, Roman style. A cat of nine tails are nine leather strap that are woven together at the handle. Each strap is laced with bone and other sharp objects. With each lash, flesh would be ripped from the victim’s body. Most of the illustration I have seen of the crucifixion of Jesus where quite sterile. They fail to illustrate the brutality. Their image of Jesus looks more like an under wear modal doing a photo shoot fore GQ magazine, Then the savor having the wrath of God being pored on his body for the payment of our sins. In this painting, I am place my viewer in the soldiers shoes, who just witnessed Jesus committing His spirit into God’s hands. Just as the soldier pondered the event he participated in , and looking into the face of Jesus, he proclaims, this man was truly the Son of God. Written by Stephen J. Vattimo 7/20/2020

Seem to be going in a different path these days. Will get back to my folk art soon enough but hope you all like. Feedback appreciated

The Fifth and final Joyful Mystery: The Finding of Jesus in the Temple. Young Jesus is so cool, can you just immagine all the wisdom and grace pouring out of him at Nazareth? "That kid is amazing!" the temple elders and priests probably said but they had no idea how amazing he actually is, because he's God! Super power packed! lol Luke Chapter 2: 40-52 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong, full of wisdom; and the grace of God was in him. 41 And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the pasch, 42 And when he was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast, 43 And having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not. 44 And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day's journey, and sought him among their kinsfolks and acquaintance. 45 And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers. 48 And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? did you not know, that I must be about my father's business? 50 And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them. 51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart. 52 And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men.

The Factions had become strong, but were not strong enough, they tried to help their areas, but establishing a new government in a post-apocalypse is harder than it may seem. The Knights Faction, in its quest to slay the remaining dragons of the Fae Forest, and in an attempt to secure more supplies in the beautiful and bountiful region. A force of knights, mainly human, staged a takeover, violently taking from the elven folks of the forest villages, shortly after the negotiations failed. The elves were sad to lose so much land to the war effort of the humans. Some elves joined with the modernizing society of humans, and others stayed and tried to fight back against the growing human population and demand for more land. Elven oppression became an issue to a few people, who now fought for Faere Rights. A Lich Queen rose from the fallen elven lands and vowed revenge. She banned together the downtrodden races of Orcs and Goblins . Using intense gene meddling and tampering, the Lich Queen mutated the Orcs into a new breed of fighting beasts called Ogres. Alongside this, the Trolls were created. Trolls were an artificial life-form designed for battle, possessing great strength but being having very little brains. War. Another war . The Great Faere War .

The mouth of god.

Gobbins be like

and now, a short poem: "I am so close to the edge, I could just take a step, and leave this lonely world behind" ... thank you, and now back to our regularly scheduled fear-mongering and brain-washing, yay!

Sketches of merfolk for #MerMay

Brush with black ink and white acrylic paint on 9” X 12” acid free Strathmore Bristol smooth surface paper. The Image dimensions are about 5 1/2” X 8 ½. Signed and dated. (The black ink was used for the character as well as for the background. The acrylic painting was used only for the small shapes in the background)

Sower and the Seed This painting illustrates the parable “The Sower and the Seed,” a teaching of Jesus recorded in the book of Matthew chapter 13. The four hearts in the sky represent four different responses of those who hear the Gospel message. The heart on the lower left represents those who have heard the gospel but reject it. The devil then comes and takes it away from their hearts. This is illustrated by the crows flying away with the seed that fell on the road side. The second heart on the upper left side of the sky represents those who receive the gospel message with joy, but it doesn’t take root in their faith, and their faith is temporal, falling away when trials or affliction come their way because of the gospel. This is illustrated by a grape vine withering away in the heat of the day due to a lack of a deep root system. The heart in the upper right corner of the sky represents those who received the gospel and believe, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. This is illustrated by the grapevine being choked out by a purple, flower-bearing, climbing, strangling vine called, morning glory. These vines produce pretty flowers, but they are an organic farmer’s enemy because they will choke out his crops. I learned this firsthand in organic farming when I was a missionary for a couple of summers. The heart in the lower right corner of the sky represents those who hear, believe, and are committed to living for the gospel, so they produce much fruit. This is illustrated by a healthy, strong, fruit-bearing grapevine. The tilled field represents the world that God has prepared to receive the Gospel message. The sower represents all Christians that are commanded to go into the world and proclaim the gospel message. The seed being thrown by the sower represents the gospel message going out to the world. The seed bag has written on it, “The Word Seed Co.” (October 28, 2017)

Size 4' x 5' Painted on canvas Medium acrylic painted 1995 In this illustration i am trying to portray how active the spiritual world is in every day of our lives. How heaven and hell, these two kingdoms are battling it out to win our devotion. Even when A person chooses to become part of God's family, the believer will still have to struggle with the forces of darkness as long as we live in these mortal bodies. The room is suppose to look like it's on fire. This is to represent the destiny of man, spending eternity in the lake of fire, if he refuses to be saved through God plan of salvation. the two people in this paint are the two leader of the two kingdoms. The Devil on the left, Jesus on the right. They are both standing at the door way that will lead to their kingdoms. They are both beckoning the viewer to go through their door. In this painting I want the viewer to understand that spiritual battle take place with every decision we face. When we come to a spit in the road our we going to choose the right road or the wrong road? What ever road you Choose will sooner or later reap the reward. The reward will either be destruction or blessing, the blessed think is we choose I illustrated the devil in a beautiful purple robe with gold sequence , To show He is the king of the fallen angels. Purple in the Bible was worn by king and governors and ruling authorities. The purple hood is to show that Satan is a deceiver. He will take truth and twisted into a lie , kind of the way a person will put poison mix in peanut butter to get rid of an unwanted mouse. Most people don't recognize when the Devil is temping them, because the only view of Him they have is the movie the exorcist. But He is more effective when He appears in the form of a used car salesmen. The gold belt He wears and the golden door way represent His tactics to side tract us with the love of temporal thing such as the love of money , fame, power. If a person gain the whole world yet loose his soul what has he truly gained. Illustrated Jesus dressed in a golden Robe with a golden sash. This represent He is the High priest who offered the sacrifice that appeased the requirement to deliver man from the power of sin, and restore man back to fellowship with God The Father. The door way to heaven is made up of the cross that Jesus gave His life on. If you look at the painting closely you will see holes in Jesus hands and feet. You also can seen on the cross from the blood and the spike marks where Jesus was nailed to the cross. The devils door has endless darkness of Hell , where Jesus' door has endless light of heaven. The rocking chair was designer to represent contemplation. Their are hearts with question marks in side them on the head rest as well the seat. I think of people sitting in their rocking chair when they have a big decision to make. So i think before we make decision, we should thing what will be the fruit down the road. If I plant thistle when it grows up it will hurt me . If i plant wheat, when it grows up it will feed me.

Victory Through Prayer Medium: Water Color Markers on Illustration Board Size 2' x 4' Year completed: 1991 This illustration is part of a collection of artwork I did while in the military entitled, "The Army Years", I served in the Army National Guard for 5 years, and the regular Army for 4 years. One of the main reasons I got out of the military is because I didn't have much time to do my artwork. While I was stationed in Germany I did a few posters, and banners for a German/ American Playhouse, and I was in a European art show. This illustration was done during The Desert Shield / Desert Storm, during this war, many soldiers were afraid that our military equipment would fail to function due to the desert sand. While I was stationed in Germany, I attended a Christian hospitality house, that ministered to military personnel, and their families. I knew and heard of soldiers who died or were wounded in the war, we prayed for God's protection for those we knew were in harm's way. I believe the reason the casualties were low for the collision force is that God gave them a swift victory on the battlefield. No one should think that it was just might, and smart bombs, Iraq had the 4th largest military in the world. The Bible teaches that God causes the rise and the fall of nations. Decoding the symbolism : The " v " with lightning bolt shooting out of it =God giving the collision forces victory over Iraq's military. The large bold eagle with the arrows in its right talon, and with it's left talon open to attack, = the U.S. attacking Iraq. The banner made up of the flag of the collision, tie to the eagle's open talon= The U.S. leading the collision nation in the war against Iraq. The necklace with the cross attached to it, around the eagle's neck = God protect around the U.S. forces, the result of intercessory prayer of Christians. The flag of Iraq illustrated in the shape of the geological area mass of country, being shattered by the lighting = God judging Iraq, by giving the collision power to conquer Iraq and occupy her land. The land mass colored red at the bottom corner of Iraq = the country Kuwait, that Iraq invaded, that was the cause of the war. Written by Stephen J. Vattimo October 12, 2008

Title: Windows to the Soul Medium: Ink on sketch Book Paper Size: 10” X 14” Year: 01/09/2020 This Illustration is a pulmonary design/study for a future painting. Theme was born from a poem I wrote a couple years ago, by the same title. The main massage is that Christians are to be windows that Jesus Christs can shine His light of, Love, truth, mercy, salvation, hope, new life, in to a darkened world by the power of sin. The power of sin is what subjects all creation under destruction, suffer, death, decay. The Devil, and countless fallen angel use these tools to destroy the human race. Christians Have victory, through faith in Christ, from being a salves to sin, they have obtain adoption into God’s family, and removed from the coming damnation that is for the rebellious angels and the humans. Christian still are still temped to commit sin, and still make bad choices. Christian’s sin, hinder their effectiveness to be a witnesses for God’s kingdom, their short comings are like black drapes, that hang in a widow, that hinder the sunlight from brightening and warming a dark cold room. The massage communicated by symbolism The stair well leading down with the railing around it: The railing: The 3 petal flower is a Keltic symbol for the trinity of God. The railing around the stair well: Represents, God’s desire that none should perish but to repent. It also represents that people go to hell by their own choice, through their deliberate rebellious living against God. No ne accidently end up on the wrong side of the railroad tracks. The Stairs going down: Represents sinful humanity that is separated from a holy God. Without a spiritual intervention, we all have one destination that is the lake of fire, which is the finale judgement for sin. The open glass pane door: Represents God wants humanity to except his invitation to commune with Him, receive the new life He offers to provide for them. The stair case without railings: Represents the path to TheHeaven, which must me travailed by faith. The partly open drapes hanging in the Picture widow. Represent sin that try to prevent the light of truth to penetrate the darkness of deception. The railing with the fishes and crosses: This represent the Heavenly destination of Christian. It also stand for Christian being God’s Life guard. While living in the world, their mission is to take the salvation message into all the world. The second Floor open door, the entrance filled with light: This represents the entrance to Heaven. The globe sculpture represents a world needing to be repossessed, from the power of the curse of sin. By the hand of God, it will made new, absent of rebellious angel and humans. Absent from destruction, suffering, death, decay. Stephen J. Vattimo 1/10/2020

Ink on sketchbook paper subject: illustration for the national paper Size :11" x 14" Date: 10/20/2017 Artist: Stephen J. Vattimo This ink illustration was created for a pumpkin design for a carving contest. The hands grasped tightly in prayer. The national flag in tatters, representing all the trials and tribulation the nation is going through, The compass represents seeking direction. The who illustration making the statement, The need for a nation to look to God for direction, and healing of our land. God made a promise to the nation Of Israel, which I believe is offered to any nation. 2 Chronicles 7:14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Written by Stephen J. Vattimo

Folklore creature from south Germany, drawn with pencil

I painted this illustration to publicly proclaim the biblical account of a six (literal) days creation by the Holy Trinity to be the true account of the origin of all things that have been, are now, and will exist. I believe the evolution theories have many holes in them and lack sound evidence to declare evolution as the true account of the origin of all matter. I believe schools should teach both theories, and let the student decide which is truth for themselves. The three figures of light that are holding the hourglass represent the Trinity—the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit—Who together created all things. The background of the painting is supposed to illustrate that the Trinity created all things from nothing. The hourglass is supposed to appear to be made of pure gold, representing a creation without corruption and decay, which would later be part of the curse the creation would be subjected to because of man’s sin. The top and bottom bases of the hourglass have the icon of the moon and sun six times to represent the six days of creation. The six spheres floating inside the hourglass represent the six (literal) days and what was created on each day. The first day, God separated the darkness from the light. This sphere is placed at the bottom of the hourglass because sand in an hourglass always flows down. The second day, God separated the sky from the sea. This is represented in the sphere located at the bottom right of the hourglass. The third day, God separated the land from the waters, represented in the top half of the sphere. The bottom part represents the plant life that was created on the same day. The fourth day, God created outer space: every star and planet. God mentions the sun was created to light the earth by day and the moon to light the earth by night. This is represented in the sphere located at the top middle of the hourglass. 1514 The fifth day, God created the creatures of the air and the creatures of the water. This is represented in the sphere located in the top right of the hourglass. The sixth day, God created both the land creatures and man. This sphere is located in the top left of the hourglass. (October 28, 2017)

I decided to participate in Folktale Week this year, as it was the first I’d heard of it. This is the submission for the prompt “Home”.

Legends and folklore is huge in Game of Thrones book series, one in particular is the legend of ‘Azor Ahai’, the warrior who drove the darkness away with his sword Lightbringer. How he forged the sword to bring the end in darkness was by plunging it into his wife’s heart. her soul and the hot blade created Lightbringer. A new ‘Azor Ahai’ was supposed to come again and many believe it to be either Daenerys Targaryen or Jon Snow. - I think end the end it’s Jon Snow if the prophecies were interpreted this way- the ‘long night’ being Daenerys mad reign. A more detailed explanation can be found on distractify.com!